PM’s reshuffle no sign of weakness
Paul Begley appears to judge the Prime Minister’s strength or weakness using the same criterion as Peter Dutton. What if, amazingly, he actually decided that Home Affairs is not as important as Housing? Clare O’Neill is a fine minister and her talents were wasted in Peter Dutton’s self-aggrandising super ministery of Home Affairs. Labor had to deal with the legacy Morrison et al left but is now able to quietly unpack Home Affairs, taking ASIO away from it and giving it to reknown head kicker Tony Burke along with Immigration – the two hot button (for the Liberals) areas. This change by Albanese returns the portfolios to their proper place, much closer to the status of the old departments of Customs and Immigration.
Commentators should accurately reflect the actions of the PM. He has not sacked, as Begley says, either O’Neill or Giles but reshuffled his ministry keeping them both in significant roles. No-one has claimed that Tony Burke was “sacked” when he lost his Ministry of Workplace Relations. This language is important because it slips into partisanship – Dutton will be running round the country claiming the PM has sacked two good ministers, he has done no such thing.
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